2017 Water-Level Data Acquisition Statistics

by Brett Bennett and Mary Brohammer

KGS Open-file Report 2018-1
Dec. 2017

Summary

The field-measurement phase of the 2017 annual cooperative water-level measurement program was successfully completed by the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) and the Division of Water Resources (DWR), Kansas Department of Agriculture, prior to March 1, 2017. The annual program is designed to regionally sample the High Plains aquifer in Kansas so trends can be established and evaluated for effective incorporation into water-resource management strategies. Water levels were recorded in 97.5% of the 1,384 network wells in 2017. The KGS measured 559 wells and the three DWR offices (Garden City, Stafford, and Stockton) measured 825 wells. Data acquisition by KGS staff was completed in January.

A spatial analysis of the 2016 annual network well distribution identified nine locations that required additional water-level data to permit continuous and uniform sampling of the High Plains aquifer. Researchers then identified wells in these locations that have sufficient construction and historical information and landowner cooperation to attempt a water-level measurement. Of the 19 wells designated to replace existing wells or fill gaps in the network, 15 were measured and were incorporated into the network for 2018. They will be measured in all future measurement campaigns unless the wells become unreliable or are plugged. Yearly geostatistical studies will define under-sampled areas and assist in selecting optimum locations for replacement wells to eliminate holes in the hexagonal network used to assure uniform sampling of the aquifer.

January 2017 Acquisition

KGS

DWR

Total

Number of network wells in 2017

559

825

1,384

Number of counties

16

32

48

2017 provisional (new) wells

9

10

19

# provisional wells measured

6

9

15

# wells successfully measured

545

805

1,350

# wells MIA*

14

22

36

# wells measured for quality assurance (QA)

56

--

56

# wells targeted for removal

6

0

6

*Wells with zero depth reading, where measurement failed, or that were marked for removal.

DWR (0 wells)

No wells were tagged for removal by DWR in 2017.

Appendices

The two appendices to this report are summary tables.

Appendix A—Contains a summary of information for all wells measured by the KGS. This appendix includes county, well legal description (ID), and 2017 depth of water below ground surface (BGS). Quality Assurance measurements (QA) and Provisional wells (PROV) are also identified.

Appendix B—Contains a summary of information for all wells measured by the DWR. This appendix includes county, well legal description (ID), and 2017 depth of water below ground surface (BGS). Provisional wells (PROV) are also identified.

Both the current year's measurements and historical water-level data are archived and maintained at the KGS in a centralized database (WIZARD) that can be accessed at the KGS website at www.kgs.ku.edu/Magellan/WaterLevels/index.html. The township-range-section identifier and the water level for each well measured are also provided in tabular form as part of this report, which can be found online at www.kgs.ku.edu/Hydro/Levels/index.html under the heading "2017 Reports."

The complete text of this report is available as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.